Down goes Michael Brown

Michael A. Brown, the son of late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, previously pleaded guilty to a federal campaign violation in 1997. (Michael Temchine/For The Washington Post)

He may be gone from the D.C. Council, but federal prosecutors had not forgotten. Former city lawmaker Michael A. Brown told his closest supporters Thursday night that he intends to plead guilty to a serious federal crime after accepting a payment offered by undercover federal agents. Brown described being approached by businessmen hoping to become certified as a small, local, minority-owned enterprise, entitling them to preference in city contract awards. To his friends, Brown described the transaction as a “loan arrangement” but federal prosecutors more likely see it as a bribe, or at the very least, an illegal gratuity. Expect more to be revealed later today, when prosecutors are expected to file charging papers in the District’s federal court. More from WRC-TV, WUSA-TV and the Examiner.